The Population Institute today announced the winners of its 38th annual Global Media Awards. In a slight departure from previous years, this year’s winners were selected for their research, writing or reporting on topics related to the escalating political assault on reproductive health and rights in the U.S.
In announcing the awards Robert Walker, the president, noted that, “Last year was an extraordinary year, especially at the federal level, where President Trump and his allies in Congress, sought to target Planned Parenthood, restrict abortion rights, repeal the Affordable Care Act, eliminate funding for family planning, terminate the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program, and stack the federal judiciary with judges who are hostile to reproductive rights.”
Given these unprecedented attacks on reproductive health and rights, Walker said that, “We felt it was important to acknowledge the individuals and organizations that have done the most to keep the public informed on these issues and their public policy implications.”
This year’s awardees are:
Sarah Kliff, a reporter on health policy for Vox, received an award for “Best Reporting” for her coverage of issues relating to reproductive health and rights, including a special report (“Leaked regulation: Trump plans to roll back Obamacare birth control mandate”) that she co-authored with Dylan Scott. Other reports of note include her coverage of the record-setting decline in teen births, and the Trump Administration’s attack on the ACA’s birth control mandate.
Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy, attorneys who write for Rewire, received the award for “Best Podcast” for their new series titled “Boom! Lawyered.” Their podcasts have provided insightful coverage of the escalating legal fights over reproductive rights, including a podcast that looked at efforts by Operation Save America to undermine enforcement of The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE Act), which was signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton.
Amanda Marcotte received an award for “Best Editorial” for a series of hard-hitting opinion pieces that she wrote on what she characterized as the Trump administration’s “war on birth control.” Marcotte is a writer for Salon who covers American politics, feminism, and culture. Her stories in 2017,included “A new war on birth control: Trump’s victory has empowered the sex scolds”, “War on birth control: Health secretary nominee Tom Price could seriously damage contraception access, even under Obamacare” and “A new front in the assault on women’s freedom: Anti-choice activists now going after birth control”.
The Guttmacher Institute received the award for “Best Research,” for the series of reports they published quantifying the human costs of eliminating or rolling back federal support for family planning and reproductive health programs, including evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. Policymakers and reporters, alike, have come to rely upon the Guttmacher Institute for their analysis of federal and state programs supporting family planning and reproductive health.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) received the award for “Best News Reporting Service,” for the morning briefings provided by Kaiser Health News (KHN) on issues relating to reproductive health. KFF is also being recognized for its fact sheets on the Trump Administration efforts to rollback reproductive health coverage.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund received the award for the “Best Social Media Campaign.” The award was given for its #Fight4BirthControl campaign that sought to mobilize public opinion against Trump administration efforts to undermine women’s access to affordable birth control.
Dorothy Samuels, currently a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, received the Population Institute’s “Lifetime Achievement” award for her editorial opinions in support of reproductive health and rights. Samuels was a member of the New York Times editorial board for 30 years, and is a widely recognized voice in the fight over reproductive health and rights.